“New Thought” was a loose set of teachings, originating in the United States in the early 19th Century. One can argue that this body of thought is the source of many crucial points in ceremonial magick, American utopianism and what is current called “wellness culture.” And indeed there’s always been some degree of overlap between these arenas. So I do find it interesting when some element in any of them blooms in unexpected and perhaps what appear to be counterintuitive ways.
The New Yorker ran a piece on what was essentially the equivalent of a tupperware party for the ultra rich consumers of very high level consumer goods – in this case – reimagined flannel shirts. Bear with me. So the occasion is a “sound bath” session hosted at the Bergdorf Goodman store in Manhattan. What’s being shilled is the God’s True Cashmere line of “quiet luxury” shirts, retailing for about $2000 a piece. They are intended to bring “softness” into you life and come equipped with seven gemstones (different ones for each style of shirt) representing the seven chakras. The people behind this product are Sat Hari Khalsa – a blonde Massachusetts native who goes by the name Sat Hair (God’s Truth) and… uh, Brad Pitt. So you can understand why a $2000 Pendleton shirt seems like a reasonable product. Nothing characterizes what, appears to me personally, as a contradiction in seeking a spiritually attuned life style that involves spending this kind of money on a shirt that this bit of posturing:
‘Of a maroon plaid, she said, “This could be for everybody—vintage American, old school, not like a lumberjack but maybe a worker, the real people. A blue-collar shirt made into elevated cashmere.” She added that she hoped the shirts, even if unattainable for many, would have an effect that “ripples out to others” and reminds people to “soften inside of themselves.”’
Read the entire article:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/06/24/brad-pitt-likes-it-softer.
